Colorado Springs News, Sports & Business

A 37-year-old man pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of a homeless man found fatally stabbed under an overpass in Colorado Springs.

Under a plea deal with prosecutors, Walter Joe Martin agreed to serve 28 years in prison in the slaying of 48-year-old Timothy Shawn Jordan.

Jordan's body was found Jan. 28 under the Cimarron Street overpass at Interstate 25. Police released few additional details.

In a brief address to the court, Martin, also homeless, told El Paso County District Judge Larry E. Schwartz he was making his bunk when Jordan approached and threated to sexually assault him, leading to the stabbing.

Relatives of the slain man later scoffed at his explanation, saying Jordan had "lifelong issues with drugs and alcohol" but didn't have a violent history.

"I'm fairly certain my brother had drugs and he went to get them," said Kristina Jordan-Proctor of Scottsdale, Ariz. Born and raised in Denver, Jordan had been living in Colorado Springs for several years, and he was a frequent visitor to the Marion House soup kitchen.

The victim's nephew, Joshua Jordan of Denver, said Monday's guilty provided a "sigh of relief" for Jordan's loved ones.

"In this case, I think it was a situation where this is the best resolution possible," added Jordan-Proctor.

Martin's sentence is expected to be imposed at 8:30 a.m. Sept. 4 by Judge Schwartz.